TG16 - Dungeon Explorer

Haiku-Review:

a maze of castles

surround tiny villages -

lurking, Satan waits

Additional Comments:

Oh crap, I meant Natas! Natas!!! (...maybe no one noticed.)

Anyway, while looking through TurboGrafx's library for some games I can add to my collection, I came across Dungeon Explorer. I was immediately drawn in by the almost primitive, yet enriched variation of Gauntlet's tried and true hack 'n slash tomfoolery. I've always loved Gauntlet's kill or be killed attitude with Grunts and Lobbers incessantly bashing away at the heroes en masse. There's something about it that's just so juvenile, even more so than today's hack n' slash offerings, but that's the joy of it. It's simplicity at it's finest in regards to the genre: level after level after level of hundreds upon thousands of mindless souls just aching to be killed. And beyond that? Nothing. Dungeon Explorer, however, chose to investigate the possibility of enhancing the game with actual content and additional gameplay mechanics. There's more than just massacring everything in sight to be found here, or at least at first glance.

This is one of those games that grabbed me by the horns, but then just sort of lost grip as it progressed. In a way, I'd blame it on all of those fresh, new ideas: upgrading Gauntlet's Bingo card style overworld with Odessia's beautiful countryside and incorporating a new RPG style stat/HP increase, but then I'm not so sure. It could also be the downplay of the sheer number of enemies and the ease to erase any unwanted sprites with screen boarder proximity. Actually, while a help in certain areas, that was a big letdown. But first, I'll go into more detail regarding Dungeon Explorer's upgrades.

I think the greatest thing this game did to enhance the primitive hack n' slash of the 8-bit days was to add a true, interactive overworld. This alone brought whole new life to the game and is really what sold me. This alone made the game feel more akin to an RPG experience than the rather lackluster leveling system. Not only that, but it helped enliven the plot; making it feel more substantiated than simply decreeing that the heroes are searching each dungeon for the elusive ORA Stone. Walking from village to village and facing nasty denizens en route also helped tie the world together instead of simply transporting the hero from one dungeon to the next. Sure, this is nothing new to RPG's or even action adventure games, but for the Gauntlet style approach to infinitesimal monster creation, at least until the respective generators are destroyed, it not only opens up countless possibilities, but it makes the game feel wholly unified.

However, the overworld brought on a lot of confusion too. Granted, the game is conceptually a giant labyrinth, but I only ever felt that on the overworld. The dungeons themselves fell short of that standard, playing far too linear. Even Ratonix Dungeon, despite its dizzying array of staircase trickery, was incredibly straightforward. But as far as the overworld went, I always felt like I was overlooking something, fell under a spell of misdirection, or just flat out barking up the wrong tree. The confusion is an unfortunate  byproduct of the game's Continue feature. No matter the in-game progress, the hero will always begin in the same little inn in Axis Village, which is more or less the nexus of Dungeon Explorer's universe. Therefore, in an effort to eliminate as much cross-country reprisal as possible, the overworld is littered with shortcuts that are eventually unlocked when the time is right. Honestly, I applaud Atlus tenfold for this approach. With the exception of a couple minor excursions that need to be repeated if you meet an untimely end, they took great care to create effective bypasses where and when necessary. At the same token, it causes some doubt as you travel the land. Maybe it's just my own stupidity, but I never felt confident in where I was going during the latter half of the game. A couple of times, I think I managed to find my destination by sheer fortune. All in all, what should have been labyrinthine felt too linear and vice versa.

As far as the game's leveling system, I'm not sure if it has a positive impact or not. Yes, the idea of stat boosting is always fun - it create's a secondary goal of sorts. And coming from a background of pen and paper RPG's, there's just something about watching individual numbers progress over time; inching ever closer to that next tier where some great new power or ability suddenly comes into play. Unfortunately, most video games muck up the entire system which ends up forcing players to tirelessly grind away for experience points. Dungeon Explorer, however, took a completely different approach, more akin to that of Legend of Zelda where stat increases are done after defeating a dungeon boss. Except here, it makes the rest of the game feel a little hollow. I think this partially has to do with the heroes having separate ability ratings whereas in Zelda, each new "level" only brings additional health. Throwing abilities into the mix cries out for experience accumulation, but sadly it's absent. The further I pressed on, the more meaningless all of the monsters became. Ok, maybe I could obtain some magic after enough kills, but even that wasn't worth it. I eventually hit a point where I just felt like making a mad dash for the stairs. If I had the lives in hand, why not? Typically, the bosses were easy enough to dispose of on my initial encounter, so if I could manage to beeline my way to their lairs, hey, that's all the better. And unfortunately, that wasn't all that hard to do much of the time since Dungeon Explorer really tanked the quantity of creatures compared to Gauntlet considering generators were dispersed throughout the dungeons and overworld.

The general emptiness of the environments and questionable, almost feckless, usage of enemies made the game feel far more casual than it probably should have. While I did face a number of deaths and game overs, the game still felt far too easy. If it wasn't for the confusion that I faced at times as I wandered the world, I'd probably give the game low marks purely for difficulty, or lack thereof. I'm not saying games need to be hard to be fun, but there at least needs to be some challenge, which for me, this game had very little. Even the bosses proved elementary in their strategies. And to be honest, most of my deaths were caused by running the gauntlet without a care in the world. Why waste time killing everything, which serves little purpose to begin with, when I know I can sacrifice some extraneous life force to reach the boss all that much quicker. I know that I could make the same argument for nearly any game out there, but it's never felt more apparent an issue than it did here. And that's sad, because this is still a great game.

But I think what really bugged me the most is the total lack of intelligence and motivation with most of the monsters, especially the various goblins, wizards, skeletons, and other humanoids. While all the sprites are programmed with a basic homing routine to zero in their attacks on the heroes, they have an uncanny ability to be hampered by any sort of object, formidable or not. It's not just an issue of being trapped behind a wall, but for some reason, they all seem inclined to snag their clothing on the corners where they become trapped for all eternity, or at least until you turn your back. Wait. What? That makes no sense. They will charge you head on if you're looking them dead in the eyes, but they somehow lose their way if they fall victim to the various sticky walls, even if you're directly in their line of sight. It's like they're embarrassed by their misfortune and are waiting for you to look the other way so that they can at least retain what little pride they have left. What makes this aggravating though is that they'll clog up tight passageways while still managing to stay out of shot. That's all well and good if that's what was intended, but I'm fairly certain in this case, it was not. And no matter how much you wiggle your hero around, trying to draw the attention of the aloof beasts, they still stay put hugging the adhesive dungeon walls.

The music in this game is pretty fucking phenomenal though. The soundtrack really showcases the raw throatiness of the PC Engine - very similar to Sega's sound engine for the Genesis. For me, those two console were the peak of video game sound pumping out those nice sawtooth lows and square wave highs. Unfortunately, locating specific pieces from Dungeon Explorer to showcase isn't exactly easy, but I found a beautiful little montage showcasing some of the better tracks like Overworld, Dark Dungeon, and Dangerous Garden. Another terrific piece is the Main Theme. The first time I popped in my Hu-Card to ensure it worked; I damn near melted when I heard that song as the intro played out. This game is nearly worth the music alone.

Nano-What?:

Holy crap, the antagonist's name is Satan!? When's the last time I've seen that in a video game? Don't know if I ever have. Ok, his name is actually Natas, or at least that's what everyone calls him, but there is one point where he says, "I am Natas, King Satan." Makes me wonder if this game ever came under the hellfire that titles like Splatterhouse or Mortal Kombat faced during the political correctness and censoring of games during the 90s. Seems to me, it squeaked through without so much as a hiccup. Well done!

Rating: 3 milkshakes out of 4

SNES - The 7th Saga

Haiku-Review:

seven hidden runes
by the kingdom's best they're sought -
a race to be king!

Additional Comments:

When I first got into emulation some years back, The 7th Saga; along with notables, Flashback and Drakkhen, was the first game I plunged into guns a-blazin'. The only insight I had into the game was that it was an RPG, and very likely a turn-based one at that. Chosen haphazardly perhaps, the decision was made based on knowing the game by name, but knowing next to nothing about it. Obviously, with a veritable bounty of games at my fingertips thanks to emulation, there's so many other RPG's I could have nosedived into, but I'm also the one to veer towards those little known titles that hide in the shadows. Sorry, Secret of Mana, you've been snubbed. What a blasphemous asshole I must be?

Unlike my soured runs of Flashback and Drakkhen, I pushed on with The 7th Saga. Surprisingly, despite its flat, repetitive gameplay, I found the game enjoyable. True, it's no better than a mediocre attempt at a Final Fantasy clone, but the game had a certain quirkiness that I found myself attached to. Between the crudely drawn Mode 7 overworld, the Dada-esque collection of Engrish-named horrors, and the sort of Might Makes Right mentality among the heroes, it just felt worlds apart from any other RPG while still relying on the same stale mechanic that has plagued each and every turn-based RPG since day one. Somehow, these curious nuances elevated the game; not into something necessarily better, but something a tad refreshing.

Eventually, my emulated run hit a brick wall. Somehow I lost track of my priorities in the game and managed to corner myself in the northern confines of the continent with no inkling of where to go. (Not to mention, I think I deleted my .srm file by mistake at some point.) Ah well, until another day.

Here it is a few years later and what do I find but a physical copy in my game collection. Huzzah! Sounds to me like a perfect time to try and conquer this game once and for all. Second approach and I decided to use the exact same lineup as my first attempt: Valsu Saizer with Olvan Jaess as the companion. Not only is it a perfect balance between might and magic, but the two of them together are a total powerhouse team - surprising since white mages are rarely ever useful except in the early going. And despite Valsu only having access to a solitary offensive spell, it's still powerful enough in the end game to cause some damage - surprisingly more damage than Olvan can muster even while boosted with the aid of a Power spell. Huh. Heck, I had an easier time withstanding blows with Valsu than I did with Olvan and that...well, that just doesn't make sense!

While making my way through the game, I kept tabs on what some other people had said about this game and I saw the same two complaints time and time again: extreme difficulty and grinding abuse. On my initial playthrough some years ago, I faced the same challenges. I recall grinding a great deal after leaving Melenam and again between the kingdoms of Belaine and Telaine. Each new creature I faced proved to be the ultimate test of strength, and sadly I lost all too often. This time, however, I never truly felt challenged until the end game. Yes, I faced some tough opponents here and there that truly gave me a run for my money and I fell bravely in battle far too much - the church sure as hell got its fair share of money from me - but I don't think I ever reached a point where I'd call the game difficult. Even grinding fell completely to the wayside. The only time I ever felt as if the big toe of repetitive battle needlessly pressed down on me was before entering Gorsia's Tower, and that's only because I wanted to recoup some monetary losses I experienced during the battle with Gariso. Honestly, I had no real reason to fatten my wallet. But from a collective standpoint, I wanted the best of the best regarding weapons and armor, even if some of it wasn't wholly necessary, for example the Immortal Rod for Valsu. I never even used the thing so essentially it was an easy 40k down the drain.

Experience, ability, and power never betrayed me as I ran the course of the game. Even with my highly unorthodox route that I ended up using after landing in Dowaine, I always felt the leveling was exactly on par with the opponents presented. So I'm at a loss as to how the game lends itself towards such criticisms. Yes, most turn-based RPG's do fall victim of grinding - it's just in their nature - but I think The 7th Saga managed to find a balance to stay just a step ahead of the nefarious cycle. But then, maybe it's the combination I used. Knowing how well Valsu and Olvan compliment each other, that's a very plausible hypothesis as to how I steered clear of this horrible disease. Heck, I managed to overcome the same issue in Final Fantasy by manipulating my party's abilities in the early going and that game is wrought with the pestilence of grinding.

I never felt like the game was at fault at any point. Ok, maybe one thing weakened my perception of the game: the ever present Curative Moebius, but even that meagerly skewed my opinion. RPG's, especially those by Square and Enix, are notorious for cyclical healing reliance during battle to help elevate the concept of difficulty. Forcing strategy to single out a particular character as a dedicated healer is no fun no matter how much you try and sugarcoat it. Lengthening battles by these means is not difficulty; it's tiresome bullshit meant to extend the life of a game ad nauseum. Difficulty should not equate to taking massive hits from the enemy only having to use every turn to heal the incapacitated with a dedicated patron of the white arts. Having a character solely for that purpose is asinine. Yes, healing should be an essential mechanic to any magic-based RPG, but not to the extant that most game companies portray it. And I'm not complaining because of the so-called "challenge" that comes with cyclical healing - on the contrary, it's not challenging. It's nothing but tedium and an unpleasant game experience. But then you have to ask, is there an easy fix? Easy? Probably not, since we as gamers have taken for granted that healing is as easy as spending a sixpence down at the temple or loading the old pack with a plethora of curative concoctions from the local market. All in all, medicines and/or restorative practices are perhaps too easy to come by. Why should I worry about woe when I've got twenty canisters of aloe at my side? Except in this game, the ease of medicine is exploited even further which brings me to another point - not necessarily a gripe, but a worthy talking point.

A very interesting element of The 7th Saga is the Runes. Essentially, these objects of power are what drive our heroes on - those who obtain all seven shall become king of all the lands. But not only do they carry a totalitarian dream; they also carry mysterious enhancements to help augment the bearer's own powers. Now that's one sweet deal and by the time you face Gariso, every stone is worth their weight in gold as they say. There is a downside to it all however. But what really makes the whole negative impact of the runes rather curious is that you don't even realize the problem until it's too late. With the freedom to use each Rune on the fly, they sort of negate the usefulness of a white mage. Again, this bolsters my original point that white mages are typically pretty useless in RPG's except in the early going. (Makes me laugh though since my main character was a...whelp, white mage. Ha!) Why waste magic when I have my runes? And sadly, you just sort of get used to it, that is until the safety net is pulled out from under you and suddenly those numbers next to MP matter a great deal. Strategy is no longer based on infinitesimal cyclical healing but rather, how much cyclical healing can I muster before I reach the comfort of the next inn? While personal magic and pharmaceuticals are still in abundance, it does at least bring some strategy back into the game regarding usage. Unfortunately, battles are still dragged down by needless convalescing, but by this point in the game you become pretty numb to it all.

As a final kick in the pants, the Runes play their swansong in the battle against Gorsia. Once you get the hang of how Gorsia's battle works, it's not that bad, but until you do, it's bloody murder. A whole lot of luck, against your favor, plays out in this battle since Gorsia enjoys flinging a home-cooked dark attack that easily causes twice the damage of even your hardiest warrior's HP. If it wasn't for the long ass trek to reach him, I probably wouldn't complain, but the cheapness of his battle strategy frustrated the hell out of me every time I had to spend an additional ten to twenty minutes making my way back to his humble abode. Thankfully, Valsu's speed capped out so I knew I had an extremely good chance of escape if needed - especially against those godforsaken Falocks.

But despite the aforementioned grievances, none of them were enough to drag the game down for me. Yes, it's a turn-based RPG which typically bore the hell out of me, but I never grew tired of this one. Even on my first attempt several years ago, I found the game enjoyable enough to keep pressing on. Unfortunately, I somehow backed myself into a corner and deleted my save. Otherwise, I'd probably have completed the game on my initial run. There's nothing exceptional about this game by any means and I can easily see why it's become one of the neglected titles from the SNES era. On the surface, it's a mediocre clone at best, but dig a little deeper and it's a unique RPG that pits hero against hero on a quest to be king. I'd say it extends its stay for a bit too long, but after experiencing the gameplay through two different perspectives regarding the Runes, I can appreciate it sticking around.

And finally, I cannot end without giving acclaim to the music. I love the music in this game, especially the overworld themes like Lux Tizer, Kamil Dowonna, or World Map. They're all so otherworldly in a strange sort of way - almost mystical sounding. And then there's brilliant pieces like the adventurous Mecha Glider, the quaint How to Cross an Ocean, or the snooty pomp of Grand Palace. With the amount of songs listed, I should have just linked the entire OST. Yes, The 7th Saga is yet another game where the entire soundtrack is nothing but ear candy from beginning to end. (Dare I sneak in Great Achievement, if for anything, at least a good laugh? Dare I do indeed...)

Nano-Rant:

While I can appreciate the over-extended stay, I do have to say that it came at quite a surprise. For as long as it took to reach what I thought was the end, I was appalled to find that the game continued on. Of course, I came to accept it as the reasoning appeared sound, however it left me scarred enough to think that the actual end was yet another segue into the ongoing saga that is The 7th Saga, especially considering the rather disappointing, yet shocking end. Talk about crying wolf!

Nano-Win:

If only I could express how much I laughed when I was first introduced to the post-Gariso battle music, Battle in a World of Fading Hope, and what do I see but an H.R. Giger-inspired Ghoul dancing erratically while hiding his face as if to say, "Don't look at me!"

Rating: 3.5 mosquitoes out of 5

GEN - Sonic the Hedgehog

Haiku-Review:

total game changer
for Super Nintendo hounds -
sold! Sega for life

Additional Comments:

In the beginning, for me, was Atari with the wood-paneled 2600. My mom picked one up at a tag sale when I was around six years old and I played the hell out of it. Of course, I was clueless to the existence of a video game industry beyond my own personal 2600 collection, but that's not really the point. I was more than ecstatic with the titles I acquired - certainly no complaints here - so much so that I eventually learned to play the first stage or two of River Raid blind. Heh, nowadays, I wouldn't have the patience to master such a kooky undertaking, what with the endless plethora of gaming at my hands. Then came Nintendo with the NES. I was sad to see my Atari go, but sonuvabitch, nothing could match the incredible new gameplay of Super Mario Bros. The exponential gravitas suddenly unleashed with the power of the NES was simply unbeatable. Fair enough, and as the years passed, Nintendo placed its deathgrip stranglehold around my neck as I saw no reasonable alternative to the SNES when it was finally unleashed.

For those that grew up in the post-16-bit era of gaming, the idea of a one-console household seems like nothing more than old folklore. Especially nowadays, the idea of owning less than two of the latest and greatest is just, well...absurd. But back then, you really had to put your faith in a company knowing that only one of the magnificent altars of pleasure would rest below your TV set. Nintendo had me hooked and the idea of jumping ship to see what Sega was all about was pure blasphemy. But for a friend of mine, he decided to gamble. I remember him telling me about his decision as if he had gotten the inside line on Sega's future. If anything, between the two of us, we'd have access to both an SNES and a Genesis, so why not?

Up to this point, other than hearing a few whispers about Sega's brainchild, I knew very little. I wasn't exactly hungry to play any of these "foreign" titles - after all I had such classics as Super Mario World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV, F-Zero and Sim City to keep me busy. But the day came that I decided to cross the barrier and try out this strange game known as Sonic the Hedgehog. Holy crap on a crap cracker!! I remember the day vividly. My first experience with Sonic forever changed the way I looked at video games. Sure, it's nothing more than a simple platformer, but the hyped-up speed was for real. Not only that, but the game just popped. Sega's usage of color somehow felt brighter and more alive. For the first time, doubts of Nintendo's prowess began to infect my mind. Still, I stuck with the SNES, but to have my hands on a Genesis and this wonderful game dubbed Sonic the Hedgehog....

Eventually, a Genesis made its way into my household along with the game that left me drooling for so long. To this day, the Genesis-based Sonic trilogy (I consider Sonic 3 and S&K as a single game as it was originally envisioned) is still my favorite platforming series. It's hard to say there's something out there that's better than the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3, but the Sonic series is impressively entertaining. These are games that I will never tire from, no matter how many times I play them. And believe me, I've played them an ungodly amount.

Over the years, I've had a lot of friends feed me reasons why Sonic is mediocre at best. What those reasons are, I couldn't say. I've never been able to latch onto anyone's criticism as I've often found them to hold little water and/or bear menial, biased complaints towards Sega in general. Maybe I'm just biased myself. Whatever. As far as personal sour notes, sure I grumble over the slow-as-hell elevator segments in Spring Yard Zone or the inconvenient air timer in Labyrinth Zone or the whole existence of Scrap Brain Zone 3 as a Labyrinth Zone knockoff - ok, I'm more than a bit miffed at that one. But all in all, no matter the degree of disappointment in any of the above situations, I love this game to its very core. Well, Scrap Brain Zone 3 could potentially cause a worrying wobble. Seriously, Scrap Brain Zone has the coolest gimmicks while Labyrinth Zone has the lamest. They could have done so much more with Scrap Brain's material. Oh well.

What's more to say? I suppose I could go into more detail about why I think this game is awesome. The thing is, it's just that - it's simply put, awesome! The levels, the themes, the physics, the replayability, the exploration, the graphics, the music, it's all so amazing. I feel as though I'm snubbing the game in a way; sort of overlooking the technicality of it all and instead opting to fill most of this post with backstory. But in a way, that's part of the magic of Sonic the Hedgehog, for me at least. Not only is the game massively impressive and brilliantly fun to play, the game presented itself to me as that initial step into gaming beyond Nintendo. It got me out of my comfort zone and dared me to explore what else was out there. Nintendo's selection felt expected whereas Sega's repertoire danced the ragged edge. If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't have moved on to the new and intriguing Sony Playstation; instead having kept my fingers crossed that Nintendo would once again hit one out of the park with its over-hyped Shitbox-64. Point is, how many other games have I been able to accredit with laying an incredible foundation for the future of gaming or somehow shaping it in a way yet unforeseen? Super Mario Bros. and...uh.... To make a comparison, despite my personal opinions on the matter, Sonic the Hedgehog did for me what I think Super Mario 64 did for the vast majority of gamers. Ok, so it's just another 2D platformer, but back in the day, it really was so much more than that and I think that's something that people, especially kids, nowadays will never understand.

Nano-Win:

There is absolutely no way I can finish this post without showcasing some music. Across the board, Sonic 1, 2 and 3/K, music is a thing of pure beauty. I know most all of the songs by heart and can typically hum any of them at a drop of a hat. Is that a good thing? Who knows? The entire soundtrack of Sonic the Hedgehog is golden and ideally I'd just list the entire thing. In fact, I think I will - WONG!! - but the songs that really strike my fancy are Marble Zone, Star Light Zone, and Scrap Brain Zone. Pure fucking win!!!

Rating: 5 CPU's out of 5